" A+ S+ C. F# G" A/ `高春霞的父亲高学新说，警察抓住他女儿时，她并没有在聚会，而只是在和从平顶山来的传道人谈话。高学新说，警方两天之后才给他们拘留证，罪名是非法传道。他说：“我们去要人，他们说：‘甭要了，我们还没调查清楚呢。’我们家属说：‘我们是信神的，你们早就调查过了。他们把家中的电子琴、电脑和圣经全部收走。我们信神根本不犯法啊！’” 4 [4 ~) ]+ F8 x! u2 G! x' U0 K9 h* e1 w8 Z6 {
据未经证实的数据统计，中国天主教和基督教新教信徒加起来估计已超过1亿，而且这个数字仍在不断增长。但是，家庭教会成员的宗教信仰受到各种限制，被当局恐吓、骚扰和拘留的情况时有发生，特别是天主教徒持续受到要他们效忠官方天主教爱国会的压力。) B' a' N( T e! s
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中国和梵蒂冈在主教任命等问题上存在分歧，双方至今未建立外交关系。 G! b1 u0 o, p" w( I1 C( Z& t" C* N$ D
China detains three underground priests, group says 4 F8 t' A* g; d9 D+ j l9 USun Jul 29, 2007 ; V" X4 Q6 p! R* }$ l8 g0 { J9 k + ?9 p1 R( X# e+ n% ~( N! h9 Q3 _BEIJING (Reuters) - China detained three "underground" Catholic priests unwilling to serve a state-controlled body, a U.S. group has reported, as Beijing and the Vatican press their claims on religious controls./ h1 E) l, Z6 |; z1 v1 K5 Z2 U3 X
) ?; {) V8 C0 k ZThe three men were caught by police in north China's Inner Mongolia region, having fled there from neighboring Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement emailed late on Saturday. H) C! R9 K8 @& V
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The detentions came as the Vatican and Beijing test their boundaries of authority following a letter on China's Catholics from Pope Benedict. d7 h. U2 ?; ?8 D2 Y0 Y2 G; p k/ `
China's 12 million Catholics share the same basic religious beliefs but are politically divided between "above-ground" churches approved by the ruling Communist Party and "underground" churches that reject government ties. , G" w1 R' P( ] : e! h# ]* @( E9 D9 MOn June 30, Pope Benedict issued a letter that urged reconciliation between the two sides. But he said the church must have the power to run its own affairs, including appointing bishops, possibly with government consultation. 4 t' d2 Y0 P, v7 k' _7 ^8 y! _- B8 r) C5 I: l1 k2 @
The Chinese government has often rejected such claims as interference in "domestic affairs" but has given no detailed public response to the letter. ; X: |" R/ R. _4 K, [1 C7 S 9 i! _3 q- k. O- @9 s7 g+ m& g& U. SParts of Hebei, the priests' home province, are a stronghold of "underground" churches. 9 B" u+ ?0 Q! ?! f5 D + j" |% X* E$ ^9 R/ U5 p" sThe Cardinal Kung Foundation said the three had refused to join the Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-controlled body that seeks to control church affairs. / s2 V H; U1 l 1 _6 d- P9 S1 l) GPlain clothes police detained the priests -- Liang Aijun, Wang Zhong and Gao Jinbao -- on July 24 and they have been transferred to an unknown location, the Foundation said. 5 a* n$ ], G4 V K) r' d! a+ @4 h( s) [* {- T
"They'd been hiding for quite a while when they were hunted down," the head of the Foundation, Joseph Kung, told Reuters by phone.9 E$ x* Z$ u5 m2 K0 C
1 J- Q7 p* C5 R6 I+ iKung said he did not know if the men have been charged. Another underground priest, Cui Tai, had been detained in Hebei following a minor motorbike accident, he said." Q: N$ D/ s7 N- N
* r) A! g: j5 T9 c& d& ZSometimes "underground" clergy are released after days or weeks; sometimes they are held for much longer. 6 B+ r- X) {$ P 8 Q( c! o, D8 ?2 \# zThe Vatican is waiting to see how China handles the appointment of a new bishop for Beijing, the country's most prominent diocese.$ h0 `- g' l; y1 |) B" W
! x4 z b3 o' l- \; ZRome has said a nominee proposed by the state-registered diocese, Father Li Shan, could be acceptable and has urged him to seek papal approval. 3 ]3 K0 v$ J% k7 `" \- [# P/ f. T7 d7 ^3 F
But an editorial in a Beijing newspaper on Friday said China rejects the Vatican's demand that it stop appointing bishops without papal approval.0 S, N+ n/ H, E. `6 p3 e# q# i2 D
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These days, most state-approved bishops have also won Vatican blessing. The Vatican has not had diplomatic ties with Beijing since 1951 and instead recognizes Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China regards as an illegitimate breakaway.
